Sources: Tigers, Mariners have talked about Boesch

JON PAULMOROSI

FS Detroit

The
Tigers and
Mariners have had preliminary discussions about a trade that would send outfielder
Brennan Boesch to Seattle, according to major-league sources.

No such move is close, the sources said, but Boesch remains a secondary possibility for the Mariners in the event that their top outfield targets —
Josh Hamilton chief among them — end up elsewhere.

The Tigers could seek left-handed relief pitching in return for Boesch, and the Mariners are positioned to have three lefties in their bullpen: Oliver Perez, Lucas Luetge and former Tiger Charlie Furbush.

Boesch, 27, is a streaky left-handed power hitter who finished fifth in American League Rookie of the Year balloting in 2010. He has a career .729 OPS with 42 home runs in 380 games.